Atlanta, GA (Best E Casino) - Daniel Murphy delivered a pinch-hit go-ahead two-run double in the eighth inning, and the
New York Mets recaptured first place in the NL East with a 9-5 win over the
Atlanta Braves in the first contest of a three-game set.
Jose Reyes and Nick Evans homered for the Mets, who won their third straight to pass the Philadelphia Phillies, who were pounded 14-8 by the red-hot Florida Marlins on Friday. The Mets, who squandered a 3 1/2-game lead to the Phillies earlier this month, now lead Philadelphia by a half-game with nine games left.
Meanwhile, the Milwaukee Brewers continued their September swoon on Friday, further cementing New York's playoff prospects with an 11-2 loss to the Reds. The Mets are 2 1/2 games ahead of the Brewers, who trail the Phillies by two games for the wild card lead.
Oliver Perez gave up four runs -- three earned -- in six innings for a no- decision. Pedro Feliciano (3-4) took the win for the Mets for getting the last out of the seventh inning.
Omar Infante went 2-for-3, drove in two runs, and scored for the Braves, who have lost four in a row. Jo-Jo Reyes gave up five runs on seven hits in 3 1/3 innings, and Julian Tavarez (1-4) gave up four runs -- one earned -- on five hits in two-thirds of an inning to take the loss.
"I made some good pitches tonight, and they got some good hits off of them," said Jo-Jo Reyes. "It's been a weird year for the whole team."
The game was tied at 5-5 before the Mets put up four runs in the eighth, all off Tavarez. Carlos Delgado led off with a single to center, and Kelly Johnson couldn't handle the throw on Argenis Reyes' bunt, putting two runners on base. Ryan Church struck out, but Murphy lined a double to left, plating both runners for a 7-5 lead.
"I was fortunate to have a good at-bat there," said Murphy. "The bullpen was able to hold on, I gave us a chance to win, and we really grinded it out tonight."
Jose Reyes and David Wright added RBI singles later in the frame, pushing New York to a four-run lead. Brian Stokes tossed two scoreless innings to nail down the win.
Jose Reyes gave the Mets the early lead when he went deep to left to start the game, his 16th homer of the season, and his second leadoff homer in three days.
A Wright throwing error allowed an extra run to score on Josh Anderson's RBI single in the second, but Anderson was thrown out at second, and Atlanta's lead held at 2-1.
The Mets re-took the lead with three runs in the third. Wright doubled in Reyes, Carlos Beltran doubled in Wright, and Delgado singled in Beltran for a 4-2 Mets lead. Infante pulled Atlanta back within a run, however, with his RBI double in the bottom of the third.
Evans answered with a leadoff homer to center in the fourth, his second, and the Mets led 5-3.
The Braves loaded the bases with no outs in the fifth, but only got one run out of it. Chipper Jones fanned, Infante plated a run with a sac fly, and Casey Kotchman grounded out to end the frame with the Mets still on top.
Atlanta tied it with the help of poor defense by the Mets in the seventh. Pinch-hitter Brandon Jones reached on Jose Reyes' throwing error, and Martin Prado followed with a single to right that Church overran in right, allowing Jones to score, tying the game at 5-5.
Game Notes
The Mets won for the first time in seven tries at Turner Field...New York is 32-9 when Jose Reyes scores in the first inning. It was the 14th career leadoff homer for Reyes...The Mets won an additional coin toss held Friday by Major League Baseball to determine the site for a tie-breaker between the Milwaukee Brewers and New York for the NL wild card...Chipper Jones left after the fifth inning with sore right shoulder...Johnson extended his hitting streak to 17 games.
